


Up in Smoke

by snarkymuch



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe, Spider-Man (Tom Holland Movies)
Genre: Cigarettes, Gen, Grief/Mourning, Morgan Stark is a Teen, Peter Parker is a good big brother, Peter parker is an adult, Post-Avengers: Endgame (Movie), Underage Smoking
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2021-02-27
Updated: 2021-02-27
Packaged: 2021-03-18 16:48:04
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,389
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29736870
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/snarkymuch/pseuds/snarkymuch
Summary: Written for the prompt:If I could request something, like Peter catching (high school) Morgan almost smoking with her "friends" (but she doesn't, he barges in before she could), and then she calls him a hypocrite cause she's seen him smoke like 2 packs a day?ORPeter catches Morgan smoking, and they talk about it.
Relationships: Peter Parker & Morgan Stark (Marvel Cinematic Universe)
Comments: 2
Kudos: 39





	Up in Smoke

**Author's Note:**

> This is just a quick prompt fill to clear my head. I've been heavily focused on another story lately and thought it was about time I wrote Peter again.

Peter stubbed out his cigarette on the brick wall beside him, then trudged to his car. He wasn't proud of his smoking, but somewhere along the line, he’d picked up the habit. He couldn't believe he’d be twenty-eight soon. It had been nearly eleven years since Mr. Stark died in front of him, since it felt like his life ended.

Maybe that was why he’d picked up smoking. It was a way to distract himself from the grief. Either way, his life was a dumpster fire now, bouncing between jobs and staying out way too late patrolling because Peter could never give up being Spider-Man. 

He’d gone to college, but because of life and the way it never seemed to go smoothly, he'd struggled. Coming back from five years away wasn't easy. It was like the blip had completely messed up his life, and then there was losing Mr. Stark. He could still remember how his eyes looked, staring out at nothing, dull and lifeless. That had changed everything. He’d lost another mentor, another father figure. It left a hole in him that he didn’t think could be filled.

It really wasn't fair, but that was the Parker luck.

Mr. Stark’s death left him with a new role, though, one that he never saw coming. Somewhere between the battlefield and the funeral, Peter met Morgan, and she melted his heart, hurting in the best ways. He could see Tony in her eyes, and in the way she asked questions, ever the curious mind. He might not have had Mr. Stark anymore, but he still had a piece of him in her. Peter had a responsibility now to keep her safe since Mr. Stark couldn’t. He promised himself then that he would be the best big brother anyone could ask for.

As for being the best role model? It was still a work in progress.

He steered the car away from the curb and toward Morgan’s school. She was a senior this year, even though she was only sixteen. Pepper tried to keep her from skipping grades, wanting her to make friends and stick with them, but they couldn't hold her back. She just wasn't being challenged enough. Honestly, she probably could have graduated years ago, a true legacy to her father’s name. 

Peter tried his best to look out for her, picking her up from school and helping her with homework if she needed it, not that she often did. He hadn't known Mr. Stark when he was a teenager, but Peter thought he might have been a lot like his daughter. She wasn't a bad kid, per se. She was just spirited. Morgan always had an opinion, and she was always looking for a better way to solve a problem. Sometimes this made her clash with her teachers, but between Peter, Happy, and Pepper, they managed to keep her mostly out of trouble.

That's what he thought anyway.

Peter pulled into the parking lot behind the school, scanning the area for Morgan. Normally she waited for him outside. He caught movement over by the side of the building and stretched his neck to see who was over there, wondering if it was her.

Then he saw something that he didn’t expect, making his brain seize up because Morgan wouldn’t do what he was seeing. He looked through the windshield, jaw hanging open, staring at three kids who were standing by the corner of the building. One of whom was Morgan. Smoke lingered in the air around them, a lit cigarette being passed in their hands. He hadn't seen her take a drag yet, but he wasn't gonna wait for it to happen.

He clenched his jaw, ripping the keys from the ignition and throwing himself from the car. He didn’t care that he slammed the car door. He stormed over to where the kids were standing. As he got closer, he could smell the acrid stench of cigarette smoke.

Morgan had her back to him when he approached, and one of the kids passed her the cigarette. They were laughing, and Morgan was bringing it to her lips. He bolted to her, grabbing her wrist and yanking the cigarette out of her hand, throwing it on the ground and stepping on it.

“Hey!” Morgan shouted as the other two kids startled and ran. She spun to face Peter, eyes wide. “What—?” she stuttered. “It's not what it looks like.”

“Good try, Morgan,” Peter said. “I can smell it on your clothes. It was in your hand. What were you thinking?”

Her expression hardened, chin jutting up, and Peter knew she was about to dig her heels in and fight.

“Why do you care?” she snapped. “You don't think I see you smoke two packs a day? Hypocrite.”

Peter narrowed his eyes, mulling over what he should say. He was angry, and he didn't want to say something he would regret. He was just so frustrated Morgan would try smoking, especially after she'd seen him struggle to stop. He’d tried to quit more times than he could count. She’d watched his every failure, seen him struggle. She'd even lectured him before about the dangers of smoking, and somehow that made this all so much worse.

“We're not talking about me here. How did you even think to start smoking after all the trouble you've seen it cause me?”

She shook her head a little, looking off to the side. “This is stupid. I don't want to argue. I don't see why you care, anyway. It's not that big of a deal.”

“It is that big of a deal, Morgan!” Peter was nearly shouting. “And I care because I'm your brother. I don't want to pull this card on you, but I don’t think I have another choice.”

“What card?”

“Your father, Morgan. Honestly, what do you think your father would think? Do you really think he’d want you out here smoking?”

She snapped her gaze back to him. “Don't bring my dad into this.”

“I'll bring whoever I need to into this. I'm not letting you walk down this path. You're too damn young to ruin your life like this. Is this some type of rebellious thing? Do you need attention?”

“Shut up, Peter. You wouldn't understand if I told you.”

Peter threw a hand up. “Try me. Tell me why you would think this was a good idea. I’m all ears.”

Morgan worked her jaw for a moment before straightening her shoulders. “You want to know? Everyone thinks that I should be perfect, be smart, graduate early. Everyone thinks I'm as smart as my dad, and I'm not. I'm not him, and I can't take this kind of pressure. I needed to do something to prove that I was my own person.”

“So you decide to try smoking? Morgan, come on, you know better than that.”

“Whatever, I told you that you wouldn't understand.”

“No one expects you to be your dad,” Peter said gently, some of his anger leaving him. “Yeah, you're really smart, but you don't need to prove yourself. You know we just want what's best for you. We want you to be happy. No one expects you to walk in your father's footsteps. If you want to become a zookeeper, or an artist, or a street performer, we'd be just as proud.”

She rolled her eyes, then scuffed her foot against the ground. “Yeah, maybe. It's just a lot, you know. I barely remember him anymore. It's not fair that I didn't get that much time with him.”

“I know, kiddo. It's not fair, but he wouldn't want you out here doing this either. I'll talk to your mom. We can figure something out but don't do this. There are better ways to handle stress.”

Morgan’s brows knit together, and she tilted her head. “So you gonna quit, too?”

Peter sighed. God, he wished it were that easy. He'd be a hypocrite, though, if he kept smoking. He knew he should quit. Maybe it was time. Dragging a hand over his mouth, he said, “Yeah, I'll quit, too. Fair is fair.”

A small smile spread across Morgan's face, and she nodded a few times. “Okay, then we can do it together.”

Peter ruffled her hair, making it stick up in places. “Absolutely, kiddo. Together.”

**Author's Note:**

> Thank you for reading! I hope you liked it :)  
> You can find me on tumblr [here](https://snarky-drabbles.tumblr.com/). I'm @snarky-drabbles


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